a certain
idiom
1
—used to refer to a quality that is noticed but that is difficult to explain or describe
She has a certain elegance about her.
The house has a certain charm.
2
formal
—used with the name of a person one does not know
In 1889, a certain Mr. Kelly made a large donation to the church.
Examples of a certain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That comes after California joined more than 40 states that have laws requiring cars to park a certain distance - typically about 20 feet - from any intersection, according to research from the California Research Bureau of the California State Library.
—
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Similar to the leadoff batter beginning with a home run in baseball, the senior setter/right-side hitter believes that an ace sets a certain tone in volleyball.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
So is a certain pride in what one is able to get away with, the thrill of learning new tricks and showing them off.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
For instance, a dashboard might reveal that English language learners participate less in science discussions or that a certain demographic scores lower on math quizzes.
—Haozhen Yang, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a certain
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Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Similar to the leadoff batter beginning with a home run in baseball, the senior setter/right-side hitter believes that an ace sets a certain tone in volleyball.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
So is a certain pride in what one is able to get away with, the thrill of learning new tricks and showing them off.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
For instance, a dashboard might reveal that English language learners participate less in science discussions or that a certain demographic scores lower on math quizzes.
—Haozhen Yang, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a certain
Cite this Entry
“A certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20certain. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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